


After All

by aintitnifty



Series: Only Human [5]
Category: The Dresden Files - Jim Butcher
Genre: Basically Morning Everything, Domestic, M/M, Morning After, Some Morning Sex, morning fluff
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2013-07-20
Updated: 2013-07-20
Packaged: 2017-12-20 18:45:08
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,338
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/890597
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/aintitnifty/pseuds/aintitnifty
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Decisions are made, and someone wins a bet.</p>
            </blockquote>





	After All

**Author's Note:**

> And finally, we get Marcone's POV.
> 
> This is, of course, a sequel to all of the stories preceding it in the series, so it'll probably make the most sense if you read those first.
> 
> Enjoy!

Darkness was the first thing I registered, followed closely by the weight of an arm slung across my chest, a stubble-covered jaw pressed against my shoulder, and long legs tangled with my own.

There was also a deep, rumbling purr coming from a heavy bundle pressed against my left thigh, and a careful shift of my hand revealed soft, warm fur. The cat— _Mister?_ —chirruped as he was startled from his doze, but he pressed his head into my hand willingly enough as I scratched behind his ears.

It was a small distraction from the wizard sprawled against my right side, but a welcome one, at least for the moment.

Everything about the previous night was etched into my mind in excruciating detail, from the screams of the bullet-riddled faerie lord to the press of Harry’s lips against my throat. Strangely, the only emotion those memories incited was something akin to satisfaction. I had defeated my enemy, settled my accounts, and finally succeeded in getting it through the wizard’s leaden skull that yes, I _had_ been flirting with him for years on end, and yes, I _would_ like to spend the night with him, thank you very much.

Now all I had to do was wait and see if he felt the same way in the morning.

With a light sigh, I turned my head to squint through the early morning darkness at the ridiculous Mickey Mouse clock on Harry’s bedside table. I could just make out the hands, one pointing crookedly at a cartoonish 5, the longer just past the 12. I was supposed to be at the office in a little less than an hour and a half.

Clearly that wasn’t happening.

Carefully, trying not to disturb my bedmate, I slid my numb right arm out from under Harry’s sleep-heavy torso and started to work my way out of his grip, but he must have felt me shift, because he inhaled deeply and curled tighter against my side, pressing his face into my neck.

“Don’ get up,” he mumbled. “Early. Warm. S’nice.”

“Such eloquence,” I said lowly, barely containing a laugh, and Harry shivered, tugging me close.

“’Course you’ve got a sexy morning voice,” he grumbled, still slurring a little with sleep. “No fair.”

I felt a smile creep onto my face as I stared at the dark ceiling. I wondered if Harry were even fully aware of what he was saying, let alone to whom he was so tightly clinging.

“John,” he said softly, firmly killing that thought in its infancy, and he sounded almost vulnerable, all hints of teasing gone. “You’re leaving?”

“Only for a minute,” I said, oddly touched. I pressed a chaste kiss in his hair and he rumbled against my shoulder, pleased. “I just need to place a quick call. Okay?”

“Fine,” he groaned, his good humor apparently back, and he rolled away from me with exaggerated reluctance. “Go tell your mother hen to stop fussing.”

I rolled my eyes as I swung my legs out of bed, giving the cat—apparently just as disgruntled by my departure as his owner—a final pat on the head.

“Because I am feeling particularly magnanimous this morning,” I said, tugging on my rumpled slacks, “I will refrain from informing Mister Hendricks that you just likened him to a hen.”

Harry grunted into his pillow. “Too many big words. Try again later.”

“Go back to sleep, Mister Dresden,” I said, unable to hold back a smile.

I slipped into my shirt and stepped quietly into the other room. The stone floor between Harry’s myriad rugs was freezing against my bare feet, and I wished I had thought to salvage my socks from the pile of clothes I’d stepped over on my way out.

Mouse lifted his head to watch me from his spot before the fireplace. I felt a little stupid waving at him, but the gesture seemed to appease him, and he settled back down with a huff.

I found my phone in the pocket of my overcoat. It was a miracle it was still alive, considering the power that had been thrown around last night. I had four missed calls and three unread text messages, the last of which was a terse “Call me” from Hendricks. I did so, shivering slightly in my slacks and unbuttoned shirt as I listened to it ring. I was just wondering if Harry even had a heater in this underground icebox when Hendricks answered.

“You’re still at Dresden’s, aren’t you?” he said. It was hardly a question, so I didn’t bother answering it.

“Cancel my morning appointments,” I said. “I’m not planning on being in the office until noon, at the latest. I’ll call when I’m ready to have a car pick me up.”

Hendricks grunted, so I knew it would be done. “Everything taken care of last night?”

“We shouldn’t have any more problems for a while.”

“And the wizard?”

“Was helpful.”

I heard him sigh. “Right. Let me know when you want me there.”

“I will. Thank you, Mister Hendricks.”

“Stay safe, boss.”

By the time the call was finished, Mouse had heaved himself to his feet and was stretching like a cat, baring his huge teeth in a tongue-curling yawn. He shook himself and trotted casually over to me, tail wagging gently. I held out a hand for him to sniff, which he did before licking my knuckles and ducking beneath my arm to shove his huge head into my stomach, almost knocking me over. I chuckled; my grandmother’s wolfhound had done the exact same thing when he was fishing for an ear rub. I buried my fingers in the thick fur around Mouse’s ears and started scratching, ruffling his fur and warming my hands at the same time.

And that was how Harry—sleep-mussed and wearing only a black t-shirt and boxers—found me a few minutes later. It was only when I glanced up to see the dopey grin on his face that I realized I had been murmuring childlike inanities to his dog.

“He likes you,” he said, although as soon as Mouse heard Harry’s voice, he abandoned me in favor of his master. Harry crouched down to accept a rain of slobbery dog-kisses.

“That’s a relief,” I said, leaning against the counter as I watched Harry thoroughly spoil his dog. Luckily that meant my own embarrassment was short-lived; at least I never called the dog “fluffems.” “Because I have a feeling that if he didn’t, I never would have made it through the door last night.”

“Mouse is a good judge of character,” Harry said, getting to his feet and wiping his face with the back of his hand. “Always has been. You would’ve been fine.”

“And if you’d had him when we first met?” I asked. “Would I have been fine then?”

That gave Harry pause. He flashed me a sheepish look. “I don’t know. Probably not.”

An honest answer. I leaned slowly over the counter and pressed a light kiss to the corner of his mouth. He brought a hand up to my neck and caught me before I could pull away, crushing his lips to mine in a kiss that was decidedly less chaste.

He kept me close when we parted, pressing his forehead to mine.

“I don’t care, you know,” he said. “That we didn’t start off on the right foot. We’re good now. That’s all that matters.”

“And it only took nine years,” I said wryly.

“Less than that,” Harry retorted. “I haven’t hated you for at least five.”

“Ah. And you couldn’t inform me of that because…?”

Harry flushed. “It never really occurred to me.”

“I see.” I leaned in to kiss him again, and Harry’s hand tightened on my neck.

“Come back to bed, John,” he murmured against my lips, and it was the most natural thing to acquiesce.

*

Hours later and we were both exhausted, lying in a heap of sweaty limbs on Harry’s bed. His head was pillowed on my chest, his fingers swirling absently over the old scar on my hip. My own fingers threaded through his dark hair, an action that seemed to render him as placid as a housecat, to my supreme amusement.

I was learning new things about this man every minute.

“What is your fascination with my scars?” I mused.

Harry’s hand curled into a loose fist on my hip. “Nothing, I just…” He paused, lips pursed, and then he sighed and turned his head, pressing a kiss to my chest. “I like that you have them. They show that you’re tough. A survivor. But at the same time, if any of them had been a little higher, a little deeper…” He broke off, and I sighed. I knew where this was going.

“Harry,” I said, resting my hand firmly in his hair. “I’ve long since made peace with my impending mortality. I would appreciate it if you held off mourning me for a while. All right?”

“All right,” he mumbled, and his voice was mostly muffled against my skin. Then, after a moment of hesitation, he propped himself up on his hands and hovered over me with a frown. “Just… promise me you’ll be safe, okay? If only for my mental well-being.”

I lifted a hand to cup his cheek and arched up to meet him with a kiss. “I promise.”

And then my phone rang.

“Damn it,” I muttered against his lips, and he sighed, rolling off of me.

“Go ahead,” he said with a wave of his hand. “Duty calls.”

I caught him up in one last firm kiss before swinging out of bed, hopping into my underwear, and padding into the living room to answer my phone.

“Yes, Nathan?”

“I’ll be there in five, boss. You ready?”

I sighed and glanced over my shoulder to where Harry was still sprawled naked on the bed.

“I suppose. See you soon.” I hung up.

“Lemme guess,” Harry called, staring up at the ceiling. “Hendricks is fretting and wants you home?”

“Something like that.”

“Right, then.” Harry sat up, rubbing at his hair; he only made it messier. “Let’s find your clothes, shall we?”

We dressed in silence, but it was not an uncomfortable one; it was simply weighty with things yet unsaid. Harry followed me out into the living room and we stood awkwardly near the door for a moment, neither of us quite looking at the other.

“So… this.” Harry waved vaguely between us. “Is this…?”

“I swear to God, if you so much as _breathe_ the words ‘Facebook official,’ I’m ending it here and now.”

Harry snorted. “I don’t even have a computer, jackass.”

“Good.” I smiled, but the expression felt a bit stiff. I busied myself with straightening my jacket and adjusting my cuffs, anything to avoid Harry’s gaze. “Well, if you’re asking if last night meant anything to me, then I can assure you, it did. And if you want to know if this would be… exclusive, well… I suppose that’s entirely up to you. I, at least, will not be bringing anyone else into my bed for the foreseeable future.”

Harry’s grin was blinding, and it should not have made my throat so tight.

“Great,” he said. “Awesome.” And then he had his fists in my lapels and his tongue in my mouth, and whatever fear I’d had of rejection was burned away.

We were both gasping a bit when we finally pulled apart, but his grin was still fixed, and he jovially began setting me to rights again, straightening my collar and jacket.

“Right, then,” he said. “Say hi to Hendricks and Gard for me.”

“I will.”

“Don’t do anything I wouldn’t do.”

I cocked an eyebrow. “Heaven forbid.”

Harry let out a little laugh and opened the door for me. A quick glance up the stairs showed a black sedan parked on the street, waiting patiently.

“So I’ll… see you around?” Harry asked as I stepped outside. I glanced back at him, this lanky wizard with mussed hair and nothing on his feet, and marveled for a moment that this man—a man who could kill me with a word, if he so chose—could actually sound _hopeful_ when he voiced that question.

I reached out and hooked a finger in the collar of his t-shirt, tugging him close, then pressed a soft kiss to his cheek.

“Of course you will, Harry,” I murmured in his ear, and I felt him shiver against me. “You’ll have a hard time getting rid of me now.”

And then I stepped away and climbed the stairs without a backward glance, because if I had seen his expression at that moment, whatever it was, I’m not sure I would have been able to leave.

Hendricks had the rear door open for me by the time I approached the car, but his expression betrayed nothing. I slid into the back of the sedan and heaved a great sigh, slumping against the leather seat as Hendricks closed the door behind me.

“So,” Gard said from the passenger seat as Hendricks made his way to the driver’s side. “How did everything go last night?” If I didn’t know better, I’d say she sounded almost giddy.

“Quite well,” I said. Hendricks lowered himself into the driver’s seat and put the car in gear. As we pulled away, I allowed myself one final look at Harry’s apartment. “Much better than expected, actually.”

I didn’t miss the significant glance Hendricks and Gard exchanged at that, but it was only when I saw Hendricks reach into his pocket and, grumbling, slip Gard a crisp fifty dollar bill that I realized just how much they knew.

Strangely, it didn’t bother me as much as I had assumed it would. Instead I felt myself smiling as I dug out my phone and started checking the horde of emails I’d already missed that morning.

Time to get back to business.

Other considerably more entertaining thoughts would just have to wait.

**Author's Note:**

> And that's all she wrote, folks! For this series, at least.
> 
> Thanks for reading!


End file.
